I took some grief in my review of Cheeky Taqueria when I called their restaurant “contrived”. I still stand by that claim. However, Dickey’s in Milton is a textbook example of contrived franchised barbecue. Every bit of the decor is there to trick you into believing you’re eating at a generations-old barbecue restaurant. It is embarrassing really.

Dickey’s is a franchise concept out of Texas. Their menu consists of pulled pork, brisket (sliced and chopped), baby back ribs, sausage, turkey and chicken plus the usual suspects of sides. Today I picked a two meat plate of pulled pork and ribs.

The pork was a tremendous disappointment. There was no outside meat whatsoever and no smokey flavor. It was a tad on the chewy side. I thought Slope’s pork was bland, but these guys might have them in this department. I didn’t even finish the stuff.

The ribs were tender enough but also lacked flavor. No smoke was evident, nor was there any rub or caramelized sauce. Again, they were bland and boring.

They offer three sauces served warm in pump vats (like the way Wendy’s does ketchup). Their regular sauce tastes like KC Masterpiece, just a little more thin. The sweet and hot sauces are not much better.

With my general dislike of the proteins, I devoured the side items. The Brunswick stew was was hearty and flavorful. I also liked the fried okra and yeast roll.

One gimmick I kinda enjoy at Dickey’s is the free soft serve ice cream. They have a self-serve machine with cups and cones. Since I was still hungry after leaving half my meat uneaten, I wasn’t shy and ate two cones.

There are a lot of barbecue restaurants along Highway 9 in Alpharetta and Milton. Dickey’s is not one I suggest. Maybe they are catching the overflow from ‘Cue down the street.